Journalism + source comms
Reporters who need to communicate with sources over Tor without leaving DNS or IP fingerprints in their workflow. Whonix's two-VM split is the standard recommendation here.
Whonix VPS Hosting
Tor-routed by design.
Two VMs, one host.
A Cloudzy VPS for Whonix-Gateway + Whonix-Workstation. AMD EPYC + NVMe + 40 Gbps, KVM nested.
Cloudzy has been the independent cloud for builders since 2008.
122,000+ developers, rated 4.6/5. From $3.48/mo.
From $3.48/mo · 50% off · No credit card required
~ ssh root@vps-zrh-002 gateway up
root@vps-zrh-002:~# virsh list --all
Id Name State
1 Whonix-Gateway running
2 Whonix-Workstation running
root@vps-zrh-002:~# virsh console Whonix-Gateway --safe | head -3
Whonix-Gateway 17 (Debian 12)
[ok] Tor circuit established
[ok] DNS resolver: 127.0.0.1:53 (sdwdate-protected)
root@vps-zrh-002:~# _
Whonix VPS at a glance
Cloudzy hosts Whonix-ready VPS instances from 12 regions across North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, starting at $3.48 per month (the 1 GB tier; 4 GB recommended for a comfortable Gateway + Workstation pair). Plans run on AMD EPYC with NVMe storage, 40 Gbps uplinks and a dedicated IPv4. The host runs KVM with nested virtualization so you can boot the official Whonix-Gateway and Whonix-Workstation qcow2 images side by side. Cloudzy has operated independently since 2008 and is rated 4.6 / 5 by 688+ reviewers on Trustpilot.
- Starting price
- $3.48 / month
- Recommended
- 4 GB / 2 vCPU
- Virtualization
- KVM · nested
- Whonix VMs
- Gateway + Workstation
- Money-back
- 14 days
- Founded
- 2008
Why builders pick Cloudzy
Whonix on a host that doesn't get in the way.
The four things that matter for a privacy lab.
Architectural leak-resistance
The Workstation literally cannot reach the internet except through the Gateway. Apps can't accidentally bypass Tor.
14-day money-back
Try it. If nested KVM doesn't work for your image or you change your mind, refund within 14 days, no questions asked.
99.95% uptime SLA
Your gateway needs to be there. 12 monitored regions, public SLA at status.cloudzy.com.
Real humans on chat
Live chat replies typically under 5 minutes. Engineers, not script-readers. Median resolution under 1 hour.
What you'll run
Two VMs, one host.
Tor as the only path out.
Pull the official Whonix qcow2 images, define both as KVM domains, share an internal network, boot. The Workstation can only reach the internet through the Gateway, and the Gateway only knows how to forward via Tor.
Custom ISO upload supported on every plan
Whonix-Gateway
Tor router VM
Whonix-Workstation
Isolated work VM
Tor
Onion router · v3
Debian 12
Whonix base OS
KVM nested
VM-in-VM enabled
QEMU
qcow2 image runner
XFCE desktop
Lightweight GUI
Custom ISO
Bring your own image
Use cases
What people run on a
Whonix VPS.
Tor research / measurement
Academics studying network censorship, exit policies, or Tor performance run Whonix on a stable cloud host so the test environment is clean across runs.
Onion service hosting
Run a v3 onion service from inside Whonix-Workstation that the host VPS doesn't see in cleartext. Static sites, ssh-over-onion, internal team services.
Tor middle / guard relay
Donate bandwidth to the Tor network with confidence the relay's environment is the well-audited Whonix base. (Exits not supported on this VPS line.)
Defense-research lab
Detonate samples, observe traffic, study malware behavior, all routed through Tor and contained in a Workstation VM that can't talk back to the host network.
High-stakes anonymous research
Scenarios where a leak would cost real money or real safety. Whonix's design is built for the case where 'mostly secure' isn't good enough.
60s
Provisioning
40 Gbps
Uplink
NVMe-only
Storage
12
Regions
99.95%
Uptime SLA
14 days
Money-back
Global network
12 regions. Four continents.
Pick your gateway home.
Tor latency dominates the round-trip; pick the region that's quickest to reach from your laptop. Median P50 latency under 10 ms in NA and EU.
us-utah-1us-dal-1us-lax-1us-nyc-1us-mia-1eu-ams-1eu-lon-1eu-fra-1eu-zrh-1me-dxb-1ap-sgp-1ap-tyo-1
Pricing
Pay for what you use. That's it.
Hourly, monthly, or yearly. No egress fees. Currently 50% off all plans.
1 GB DDR5
Personal Whonix-Workstation
$3.48/mo
$6.95/mo−50%
Deploy now 14-day money-back
- 1 vCPU @ EPYC
- 25 GB NVMe
- 1 TB · 40 Gbps
- Nested KVM enabled
- Root SSH · KVM
2 GB DDR5
Gateway + Workstation pair
$7.475/mo
$14.95/mo−50%
Deploy now 14-day money-back
- 1 vCPU @ EPYC
- 60 GB NVMe
- 3 TB · 40 Gbps
- Nested KVM enabled
- Root SSH · KVM
Most popular
4 GB DDR5
Multi-VM lab
$14.47/mo
$28.95/mo−50%
Deploy now 14-day money-back
- 2 vCPU @ EPYC
- 120 GB NVMe
- 5 TB · 40 Gbps
- Nested KVM enabled
- Root SSH · KVM
8 GB DDR5
Heavy multi-instance lab
$26.475/mo
$52.95/mo−50%
Deploy now 14-day money-back
- 4 vCPU @ EPYC
- 240 GB NVMe
- 7 TB · 40 Gbps
- Nested KVM enabled
- Root SSH · KVM
FAQ. Whonix VPS
Common questions, straight answers.
What is a Whonix VPS?
A Whonix VPS is a cloud server you control where you run the Whonix operating system, a Debian-based distro that routes all network traffic through the Tor network by design. Whonix runs as two cooperating VMs: the Gateway (the only one with internet) and the Workstation (which only sees the Gateway). On a Cloudzy VPS with nested virtualization you can run both VMs side by side, giving you a Tor-routed working environment that the host OS can't accidentally leak around.
Why Whonix instead of just running Tor on a regular VPS?
Because Whonix's threat model is leak-resistance. Plain Tor on a regular OS can leak DNS, IP, or app-level identifiers if a misconfigured app talks around it. Whonix's two-VM split makes that architecturally hard: the Workstation literally cannot reach the internet except through the Gateway, which only knows how to forward via Tor. It's a stronger isolation boundary than 'install Tor and hope'.
Do I get nested virtualization on Cloudzy?
Cloudzy plans run on KVM with nested virtualization available on most plan tiers, which is what Whonix's two-VM setup needs. We recommend the 4 GB / 2 vCPU plan as the floor for a comfortable Gateway + Workstation pair, and 8 GB / 4 vCPU for a fluid desktop-style experience inside the Workstation.
Which Whonix downloads should I install?
Pull the official Whonix-Gateway-XFCE and Whonix-Workstation-XFCE qcow2 images from whonix.org. Verify the OpenPGP signatures, define both as KVM domains on your Cloudzy VPS, configure them to share an internal network, and start them. The Whonix wiki has a step-by-step KVM guide that maps directly onto a Cloudzy host.
Will the VPS host see my traffic before it goes through Tor?
It will see encrypted Tor connections leaving the Gateway VM. It won't see what's inside (that's what Tor is for) and it won't see Workstation traffic (the Workstation can't bypass the Gateway). We don't log VPN/Tor traffic itself; standard infrastructure logs apply for billing and abuse response.
Is running a Tor relay on Whonix supported?
Tor middle and guard relays are fine, they support the network without exposing your VPS as an exit. Tor exit relays bring heavy abuse complaints that affect the entire IP range, so we ask you not to run exits on Cloudzy. If you want to operate an exit, talk to support first.
Can I use this for legitimate research and journalism?
Yes, that's a primary use case. Researchers studying censorship, journalists communicating with sources, and security teams testing through Tor all use Whonix because the leak protection is real and well-documented. Don't use it for illegal activity; we will respond to credible abuse reports.
How does performance compare to a normal VPS?
Tor adds latency, that's the trade-off. Browsing through Whonix feels noticeably slower than direct internet (typical 200-500 ms extra round trip). CPU on the host is fine on a 4 GB EPYC plan; the bottleneck is usually the Tor circuit, not the hardware.
Can I add a Floating IP?
Yes, $2.50/mo per Floating IP, though it's largely irrelevant for Whonix since outbound traffic exits via Tor and inbound is usually accessed via Tor onion services rather than the host's public IP.
Is there a money-back guarantee?
Yes, 14 days from purchase, no questions asked, full refund. Apply from the panel or email [email protected].
Ready when you are.
Whonix in two VMs.
Pick a region, click deploy, pull the official Gateway + Workstation qcow2. Boot both. Done.
No credit card required · 14-day money-back guarantee · Cancel anytime